McVeigh Stays Hot, but Australia Falls in OT to Serbia

Despite a strong effort from former Husker Jack McVeigh, Australia’s bid for a Olympic medal ended Tuesday morning in a 95-90 overtime loss to Serbia in the Paris Olympics quarterfinals. 

McVeigh came off the bench and tallied 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-5 from 3-poiont range along with two rebounds and two assists in 30 minutes of work. 

Australia, which led by 24 in the first half, trailed 69-65 early in the fourth quarter before mounting a comeback. McVeigh had seven of his points, including a 3-pointer with 5:42 left to pull Australia within 76-75. Australia forced the game into overtime with a jumper from Patty Mills with 1.6 seconds left. 

Early in overtime, McVeigh’s third 3-pointer of the game made it 85-85 and Australia eventually led 90-87 with 2:43 left before Nikola Jokic hit two straight baskets, including the go-ahead hoop with 1:07 remaining, as Serbia closed the game by scoring the final eight points. 

Jokic, the three-time NBA Most Valuable Player, finished with 21 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists and four steals as Serbia advanced to the semifinals. 

McVeigh finishes his first Olympics averaging 9.5 points per game on 52 percent shooting, including 10-of-19 (.526) from 3-point range. McVeigh, who has played professionally overseas since finishing his career at Nebraska in 2018, will return to the United States this fall, as he signed a two-way contract with the Houston Rockets.